Operating device for street-indicators.



P. T. SPINDLER'. OPERATING DEVICE FOR STREET INDICATORS. APPLIGATIONFILED JULY s, 1911.

1,029,770, Patented June 18, 1912.

Afro/Mair UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

PERRY T. SPINDLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN STREET.AND STATION INDICATOR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS', A PARTNERSHIP.

OPERATING DEVICE ron STREET-INDICATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 3, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

Serial No. 636,761.

To' all whom t may concern Be it known that I, PERRY T. SPINDLER, acitizen of the United States, residing lat Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful.Improvements in Operating Devices for Street-Indicators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in operating devices for streetindicators.

It has for its object to provide a light and durable device for use incombination with a trolley pole; to economize in weight at the free endof a trolley pole, and to produce a contact between two flexible membersandy thereby eliminate the shock to a great degree, that is found inmany other devices used for similar purposes, and to provide a suitableswitch and connections for shunting power to a street indicator, as setforth in the following specification.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the base, parts of the device beingshown in section. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of parts of the deviceforming elements of the invention. Fig. 5 is a detail of an element ofthe invention.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Referring specifically thereto, indicates a portion of the top or roofof an ordinary trolley car, carrying a pole 11; the latter beingprovided with bearings at 12 and 12a respectively for its horizontalpivot or axis 14.

15 is a trolley wheel and 16 is a trolley wirefsupported by the guy wire17 in the usual manner. A hanger 18 is rigidly suspended from wire 17and carries a thin, flexible member or strip 19 for use as one ofthecontact members of the device. It is shown in a horizontal positionbut may be used vertically or at any angle desired.

20 is insulating material and 2l is a bracket carrying a flexible member22 and a securing member 23. The insulating sleeve or member 24 is alsosecured in position by member 23, and a portion of it is shown as cutaway at the front to provide an opening for contact of members 19 and22. The said opening is indicated at 25.

The flexible member 22 is shown as consisting of a coil of wire or otherconducting Y the breaking of the vcontinued to a point 32 where itbranches material, giving it a tubular form and providing a sensitive,flexible member that absorbs the shock of a contact with member'v 19when brought into contact at any velocity. It is of a light constructionfor practical purposes.

The bracket 21 is secured by screws 26. A binding post or suitableconnection 27 is provided for wire 28 whichL extends the entire lengthof the /trolley pole 11 toa point 29 where t-he tapered plugl 30 andsocket 31 are provided forV disconnect-ing wire 28 in case of a brokentrolley pole. The connection may be broken either manually or throughthe strain of a pull, if produced by pole 11. The wire28 is and connectswith two similar segment-al contact members 33. The latter are separatedfrom supports 34 by the insulating material 35 and said supports aresecured by screws 36 to t-he disk member 37. A vertical pivot bolt 38 isprovided and passes through the center of disk 37 into the roof of thecar, serving as the vertical pivot for the pole 11. Two segmentalcontact members 39 are provided similar to members 33 and are secured tothe roof of the car by screws 40 with insulating material 41 between. Awire 42 connects the two members 39 and from the point 43 a wire 44connects with a street indicator (not shown). The plate 45 and springs46 are provided to give tension to pole 11, as a practical fea, ture introlley car construction, and is no part of the invention. A suitablehousing 46 is provided for the protection of the parts at the base ofpole l1.

The construction as described provides an unbroken conducting connectionfrom flexible member 22 to the wire 44 which leads to a streetindicator. The said parts are insulated from the car and trolley polerespectively so that an operation of a street indicator will not occuruntil the liexible members 19 and 22 are brought into contact, electricpower being supplied through wire 16. The conducting members 18 and 19are charged with electric power from the trolley wire 16. The object ofthe construction is to provide means to shunt a current through thevarious parts to a street indicator and provide suitable means forpermitting the ordinary movements of pole 11.

v The parts 33 and 39 have 4curved surfaces thatY are in slidableContact,4 andthe said parts are arranged 1n pairs at opposite sides ofthel disk member 37, parts 38 beingse-V cured to said disk member andparts 39 secured to the top ofthe car. The contact of the said memberswhile the pole is being moved sidewise,V allows the circuit to streetindicator 'to remain unbroken for a limited period of time, during sucha movement,

whether from an accidental or desired cause. -i The construction andrelation of the members 22and 24 permits an operating con-- tact withmember 19 only when the car 'is moving.V forward. A reverse or backwardmovementvo the' car will not cause an operation of a street indicator,because of the induct the current to wire V44E andV thence to the streetindicator for operation thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is l. The combination with a trolley wirestructure having a projecting spring contact piece7 of ajtrolley polie,and an elastic con- Vtact member projecting therefrom and arranged tostrike the contact piece, said contact member comprising a coiledspring. i

2. The combination with a trolley wire structure having a projectingspring contact pieceyof a trolley pole,'and an elastic contact memberprojecting therefrom andarranged to strike the contact piece, saidcontact member comprising la coiled springrand a recessed sleeve ofinsulating material covering the rear side of said spring.

` In testimony whereof, l alhX my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

PERRY r. sriNDLnR. Ylitnesses:

CHs. JLNIX, JOHN H. HELWIG.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents` each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

